This document summarizes cool features that an app can utilize on Windows Phone, including: - Storage and tombstoning to preserve app state when switching between apps or restarting the phone. - Alarms and reminders to schedule notifications for time-based events. - Live tiles to provide dynamic content and notifications on the Start screen. - Other features like contests and resources that make app development easier.

1. Cool Stuff Your App
Can Do
Ed Donahue
Academic Developer Evangelist
ed.donahue@microsoft.com
creepyed.com | @creepyed

2. What I’m Going to Cover
 Storage and tombstoning
 Alarms and reminders
 Application tiles
 Other cool stuff
Windows Phone 2

3. Storage and
Tombstoning

4. Demo
Fast Application
Switching

5. Application Lifecycle - Dormant
Fast App Resume
running
State preserved!
e.IsApplicationInstancePreserved Save State!
== true
activated deactivated
dormant Phone resources
detached
Threads & timers
suspended
Windows Phone

6. Application Lifecycle - Tombstoned
Resuming .. .
Restore state!
e.IsApplicationInstancePreserved
== false
running
activated deactivated
Tombstone
the oldest
app
Tombstoned dormant Phone resources detached
Threads & timers suspended
Windows Phone

7. Finding the Resume type
private void Application_Activated(object sender, ActivatedEventArgs e)
{
if (e.IsApplicationInstancePreserved)
{
// Dormant - objects in memory intact
}
else
{
// Tombstoned - need to reload
}
}
 The Activation handler can test a flag to determine the
type of resume taking place
Windows Phone

8. Deactivation Resource
Management
MediaPlayer.Pause
MediaElement.Pause
SoundEffectInstance.Pause
VibrateController.Stop
PhotoCamera.Dispose
Save page/global state
XNA Audio Paused
Sensors Notifications suppressed
Networking Cancelled
Sockets Disconnected
MediaElement Disconnected
Camera Disposed
Windows Phone

9. Activation Resource Management
MediaElement.Source/Position/
Play
Socket.ConnectAsync
new PhotoCamera/VideoCamera
Restore app state if tombstoned
XNA Audio Resumed
Sensors Notifications resumed
Networking Completed with Cancellation
Sockets -
MediaElement -
Camera -
Windows Phone

10. Isolated Storage vs State Storage
 Isolated storage is so called because the data for an
application is isolated from all other applications
 It can be used as filestore where an application can
store folders and files
 It is slow to access, since it is based on NVRAM
technology
 It can also be used to store name/value pairs, e.g.
program settings
 State storage is so called because it is used to hold the
state of an application
 It can be used to store name/value pairs which are held
in memory for dormant or tombstoned applications
 It provides very quick access to data
Windows Phone 10

11. Captain’s Log
Demo
• With No Storage
• With Storage
• Fully Working

12. Fast App Switching and
Tombstoning Review
 Only one Windows Phone application is Active at any time
 The Start and Back buttons on the phone are used to start
new applications and return to previously used ones
 If an application is replaced by another it is either made
Dormant (still in memory but not running) or Tombstoned
(removed from memory)
 Applications must use populate methods provided in the
App.xaml.cs class to save and retrieve state information
when appropriate
 State can be stored in memory for quick reload and in
isolated storage which serve as a permanent store
Windows Phone 12

13. Alarms and
Reminders

14. Scheduled Notifications
 Time-based, on-phone notifications
 Supports Alarms & Reminders
 Persist across reboots
 Adheres to user settings
 Consistent with phone UX
Windows Phone

15. Alarms vs Reminders?
Alarms Reminder
s
• Modal • Rich information
• Snooze and Dismiss • Integrates with other
• Sound customization reminders
• No app invocation • Snooze and Dismiss
• No stacking • Launch app
• Follows the phones global
15 settings

16. Creating a Reminder
using Microsoft.Phone.Scheduler;
...
eggReminder = new Reminder("Egg Timer");
eggReminder.BeginTime = DateTime.Now + new TimeSpan(0, eggTime, 0);
eggReminder.Content = "Egg Ready";
eggReminder.RecurrenceType = RecurrenceInterval.None;
eggReminder.NavigationUri = new Uri("/EggReadyPage.xaml",
UriKind.Relative);
ScheduledActionService.Add(eggReminder);
 This code creates a reminder and adds it as a scheduled
service
 The value eggTime holds the length of the delay
 This code also sets the url of the page in the application
Windows Phone

17. Reminder Housekeeping
Reminder eggReminder = ScheduledActionService.Find("Egg Timer")
as Reminder;
if ( eggReminder != null )
{
ScheduledActionService.Remove("Egg Timer");
}
 Reminders are identified by name
 This code finds the “Egg Timer”
reminder and then removes it from
the scheduler
Windows Phone

18. Demo
Egg Timer

19. Application Tiles

20. Tiles 101
 Shortcuts to apps
 Static or dynamic
 2 sizes: small &
large
 Large only for
1st party apps
 End-user is in
control
Windows Phone

21. Data Driven Template Model
 A fixed set of data properties
 Each property corresponds to a UI
element
 Each UI element has a fixed position on
screen
 Not all elements need to be used
 Animations are not extensible
Background Title Count
Image
(173 x 173 .png)
Windows Phone

22. Scenarios/Popular Applications
 Weather Apps  Send to WP7
 Weather Tile  Link Tile
 Warning Toast  Link Toast
 Chess by Post  AlphaJax
 Turn Tile  Turn Tile
 Move Toast  Move Toast
 Beezz  Seattle Traffic Map
 Unread Tile  Traffic Tile
 Direct Toast
Windows Phone

23. Primary and Secondary Tiles
 Application Tile Front
 Pinned from App List
 Properties are set initially in
the Application Manifest
Back
 Secondary Tile
 New in Windows Phone 7.5!
 Created as a result of user
input in an application
Windows Phone

24. Live Tiles – Local Tile API
 Local tile updates (these are *not* push)
 Full control of all properties when your app
is in the foreground or background
 Calorie counter, sticky notes
 Multi-Tile!
 Deep-link to specific application sections
 Launch directly to page/experience
Windows Phone

25. Live Tiles – Local Tile API
Continued…
 Back of tile updates
 Full control of all properties when your app
is in the foreground or background
 Content, Title, Background
Content Content
string is Background
bigger
Title Title
 Flips from front to back at random interval
 Smart logic to make flips asynchronous
Windows Phone

26. Demo
Live Tiles – Local Tile API

27. Other Cool Stuff

28. Easy-Bake Oven Apps
 AppMakr
 Follow My Feed
 ScriptTD
 Silverlight Toolkit:
silverlight.codeplex.com
Windows Phone

29. AppMakr (appmakr.com) Tips
 Find RSS feeds either by searching AppMakr or searching the
site for “RSS”
 Want a Twitter RSS?
 http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/USERID.atom
 Use www.idfromuser.com to find Twitter user ID
 Want to make multiple RSS feeds into one?
 Yahoo Pipes
 http://rssmix.com ( I used this one)
 Feel free to upload your own images
 App icon: 512 x 512 pixels
 Splash screen: 480 x 800 pixels
 bit.ly/appmakrlab
Windows Phone

30. FollowMyFeed.net
 Uses Panorama
 One RSS feed
 Allows for favorites
Windows Phone

31. ScriptTD
 Tower defense game engine
 All you have to do is change the
graphics & audio!
 scriptTD.codeplex.com/
Windows Phone

32. Contests!

33. Idea of the Week
 Submit your great app idea for a
chance to win $50!
 Create a Sketchflow prototype
and post it online
(wp7sketchflow.codeplex.com/)
 Tweet the URL with
#WPAppItUp
 Judged on Innovation,
Experience and Potential
 Rules: bit.ly/idearules
Windows Phone

34. Your App Here
 Be a featured app in
December, January or February!
 Win a digital ad campaign that
will deliver one million ad
impressions!
 Receive featured placement on
the Windows Phone
Marketplace
 More info:
wpyourapphere.com
Windows Phone

35. Core77 Fast Track
 Design a productivity app for
Windows Phone
 5 winning designers get an App
Development Deal, Windows
Phone, Xbox 360 with Kinect, &
App Hub subscription
 Ends Nov. 18. 2011
 More info:
http://fasttrackapp.core77.com
Windows Phone

36. Q&A

37. The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the
current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because
Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted
to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the
accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR
STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
© 2011 Microsoft Corporation.
All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S.
and/or other countries.